10 Dark Video Games Moments That Came Out Of Nowhere

9. Reclusa's Plan Is Messed Up - Mario + Luigi: Brothership

Super Mario is one of the last properties anyone would expect to go dark. That goes double for Mario + Luigi: Brothership, since the gorgeous RPG is one of cutest games associated with Nintendo's moustachioed mascot. Although you have to face off with all sorts of colourful adversaries, the Mario brothers' adventure is reasonably light-hearted at first.

But when the main villain, Reclusa, is introduced, things get dark fast. Unlike other Mario foes, this antagonist doesn't seek money or power.

Instead, the demonic entity intends to infect everyone with a gloopy substance called Glohm, causing them to develop crippling depression. It goes without saying that watching characters lashing out, dumping their partners, and withdrawing from their loved ones in a Mario game is jarring.

Somehow, it gets more eerie. Hoping to cut emotional bonds across the world, Reclusa's ultimate goal is to trap every person inside a Matrix-like simulation where they are utterly alone. With no means to escape, the prisoners would be stuck in this empty reality until their dying day.

Worst of all, Reclusa doesn't benefit from his actions. He's not feeding off his victims' energy or using the opportunity to take over the world. He just wants everybody to be miserable.

Suddenly, Bowser doesn't seem so bad.